Invalid partition table causes problems like partition loss and system boot issue. Do you have any ideas on fixing invalid partition table on Windows 10/8/7/XP? This instruction will help you solve this problem through multiple methods.

Symptoms of invalid partition table issue

Partition table is stored on hard drive, containing information which is used to describe partitions on the disk. Usually, partition table is talked about with the term MBR (Master Boot Record). MBR partition table is one of the most widely used disk partitioning format.

Operating system reads information in partition table to access partitions and files in each partition, as partition table stores partition numbers, location, size, partition type, etc. If partition table gets corrupt or invalid, operating system won’t be able to access partitions, including system partition, which means the boot process cannot continue.

The invalid partition table error mainly appears during a failed system booting process, and you can see words "Invalid partition table" on black screen.

Causes of this Error

The warning "Invalid Partition Table" Windows 10 on startup or installing appears mainly due to the following reasons:

The boot sequence is wrong.

The BIOS is out-dated.

There are two or more partitions are marked as active partition on the hard drive.

MBR (master boot record) is corrupted.

How to fix "invalid partition table" error?

Solution 1: Rebuild the MBR with PartitionGuru

This software is able to fix invalid partition table by rebuilding MBR. A partition table saves data with 64 bytes structure which offers basic information for computer’s operating system. Since the PC cannot boot to system now, the MBR rebuilding should be down under Windows PE environment.

Step 1: Create WinPE bootable USB drive of PartitionGuru.

Step 2: Boot your computer from the bootable USB disk.

Step 3: Rebuild MBR (Master Boot Record).

Solution 2: Rebuild MBR using Command Prompt

If you have a Windows installation disc, you can fix invalid partition table via Command Prompt, here are solutions:

Step 1: Insert installation disc into your computer and boot PC from the disc. Click "Repair your computer"

Step 2: Select Command Prompt in the "System Recovery Options" window.

Step 3: Type "bootrec.exe" in Command Prompt and press "Enter".

Step 4: Type "/FixMbr" on Windows. Restart computer and check if the issue is fixed.

Solution 3: Change the boot sequence

If your computer contains more than one local disks or external disk, many times, the invalid partition table is likely to happen due to incorrect boot order. On such occasion, you should restart your PC and enter Boot Menu where you can set disk boot order. Make sure your computer is booted from correct disk, save changes and restart computer.

Summary

This guide presents three solutions to repair invalid partition table step by step, and you can try them one after another. If you have partition table backup, you can directly restore partition table without trying any repairing operations.